What You Need:

• A base. It can be anything but I find it easier to be somewhat sturdy: thick paper, cardboard, canvas, even the back of a cereal box!
• Scissors, Xacto knife, or use your hands to tear paper
• Glue or glue stick
• Your collage pack!

Getting Started: Start by laying out all your collage goodies and choosing your base. Before gluing anything down, play around with arranging your pieces – this is half the fun! Don’t overthink it; trust those “ooh, this could be cool” moments.

Building Your Composition: Begin with larger background elements and work your way to smaller details. Overlap images to create depth and visual interest. Try mixing textures, colors, and scales – a tiny flower next to a giant eye can create compelling contrast. Don’t forget that tearing paper by hand creates beautiful organic edges that scissors can’t match!

Color and Balance: Look for repeating colors or themes that can tie your piece together. Balance busy areas with simpler spaces to give the eye places to rest. Remember that empty space can be just as important as filled space.

Finishing Touches: Once everything feels right, glue pieces down, starting from the background and working forward. Press firmly and smooth out air bubbles. If a paper is thick, it helps to dip it in water first to soften it up and prevent wrinkles.

The Most Important Thing: There are no mistakes in collage, only happy accidents! If something doesn’t work, simply layer over it or turn it into something new. Have fun!!

The Big Reveal: Take a photo of your finished piece and use the hashtag:
#sidewalkcollagelibrary

I can’t wait to see what you create!!!